Shear genius

Last updated: 16 March 2018

A good pair of kitchen shears can power through meat, gristle and bone with a clean cut. They can even cut and de-thorn your flowers, if your garden shears are having a day off. Sharp enough to snip raw vegetables, slice through bacon strips, glide through gift wrap and penetrate those annoying armour-plated packages – like razor blade packets, am I right? Those things are tough!

CHOICE no longer updates kitchen shears and maintains it for archival purposes only.

Cutting it fine while playing it safe? We hope so!

Carving meat from the bone with a kitchen knife may blunt the blade, or you could easily slip and carve your arm instead. Since keeping safe in the kitchen is the first priority and we know they’re easy to use, for those trickier cutting jobs it’s probably worth investing in a set of shears.

They sound so much easier than faffing about with a knife. What do I need to know?

People with weak hands or wrists should look for large, comfortable, soft handles with grips or loops that accommodate all your fingers so you can use your whole hand to apply force, and a spring-loaded mechanism so the shears open by themselves.

Cool. So what should I look for?

Solid construction and good balance, with few crevices where food can accumulate.